Lost and Found
by phatalbert21
Summary: Part three of my Enterprise series, Hoshi and T'Pol's relationship deals with a major setback. Meanwhile the tenative beginings of a new relationship are forming and the Romulans begin to finalize their sinister plans with a deadly test. T'Pol/Hoshi


**Intro:** Welcome back everyone. This is part three of the ongoing adventures of our two heroines. If you are a new reader just jumping in, I suggest going back and reading the first two stories in this series: "To Boldly Go…" and "The Su-Nian," otherwise this story won't make much sense. Originally this was going to be a bit of an angst piece; I had planned to kill off a major character. I was about halfway through when re-reading what I'd written, I noticed the story didn't feel right so I scrapped it and wrote this piece instead. Who knows, I might re-use that story at a later date, or it might just sit on my hard drive forevermore. (Personally I like this one better :P) Anyway, the character that was going to get the axe got a reprieve for now...but the Grim Reaper is always looking to claim his next victim.

**Disclaimer/Warning: **As is the case with my previous two stories, this is a femmeslash piece. Meaning it depicts women in a loving relationship, if that's not your cup of tea…turn back now. As usual, I'd like to state to Paramount, or whoever owns the Trek Universe, I am in no way shape or form receiving any money or compensation for this, and no infringement is implied. Hoshi, T'Pol and Enterprise are not my creations. I just borrow 'em for these little stories, the rest of the cast and various alien races are completely and totally mine though. So please don't sue me…I'm broke anyway XD.

**Thanks and dedications: **As always I'd like to thank my wonderful beta who helps me out tremendously and who without my stories would be nearly illegible. A big thank you to all my readers especially those that take time to: mark me as a favorite, pm me about, comment on or subscribe to my stories, thanks guys. Lastly I'd like to dedicate this one to all those who have helped support me and this project, you know who you are.

***Note:** For all you non trekkies, IDIC was the founding motto of the Star Trek Universe by Mr. Roddenberry. However since then it has become the Vulcan credo and stands for: 'Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations' and is a message of acceptance and tolerance that IMO would be just as suited to real life as it is in the fictional Star Trek Universe**. **Last thing: there may be some incorrect medical or scientific data in here. If it is I just ask you overlook it, thank you.

**Lost and Found****  
****by: Phatalbert21**

_2:00 pm June 2nd 2166_

The serious form of Commander T'Pol sat at the operations department of shuttle pod three, plotting a course back to _Enterprise_ after a successful away mission to trade star charts with an alien species.

Sitting at the pilot seat was her partner of the past three months, Hoshi Sato, a lithe woman of Japanese descent with beautiful dark raven hair that was offset by her porcelain skin. Although normally quite energetic and talkative, she was quiet at the moment, concentrating on her flight board.

As a Vulcan, T'Pol didn't mind the quiet, in fact she normally preferred it as opposed to the more lively settings her partner seemed to thrive in. Thinking of Hoshi, T'Pol was amazed how two such different people as themselves had fallen in love. Besides the obvious physical differences, there was the fact that T'Pol was forty one years older than her partner, added to that their temperaments were (no pun intended) worlds apart. Being a Vulcan made T'Pol naturally reclusive and aloof, she repressed her emotions to the point that most people who knew the Commander would say she didn't experience them at all.

Hoshi on the other hand was best described, in the affectionate words of the late Charles Tucker III, as a 'firecracker'. Naturally sociable and friendly, Hoshi was quick to join in group settings, and was one of those people that everyone knew and liked. It seemed that there was something in the IDIC* motto after all, or the old human saying of 'opposites attract.'

T'Pol was roused from her musings by her board letting out a loud series of beeps.

"What was that?" asked Hoshi, looking up from her console somewhat tersely.

T'Pol didn't answer immediately; she was busy trying to locate the source of the alarm. After a moment she looked up from her board. "A plasma storm is approaching from our port bow. It is nearly half a light-year across and it is gaining on the shuttle." She reported in a calm voice.

Hoshi was anything but calm as she yelped, "A plasma storm, where did it come from?"

T'Pol scanned her board "Unknown, it appeared quite suddenly. There are several possibilities to its origins though."

"Can we out run it?"

She took another glance at her board. "No, at its current speed it will catch us within one hour."

Hoshi's knuckles were starting to turn white from the pressure her hands were excreting on the controls. "Well we're nearly seven hours away from the rendezvous point, so we can't make it back to _Enterprise_, have you tried to raise them?"

"Yes, however the storm is causing too much interference to get a signal through."

"So what the hell do we do then?" A desperate Hoshi asked.

"I am attempting to come up with a plan." Was the response she got followed by the sounds of her inputting some data into her console.

Just when Hoshi was about to start pulling out her hair from the tension T'Pol looked up from her board again. "Change our heading to: zero, seven, four mark nine."

Hoshi input the coordinates before her stomach gave an unpleasant jolt. "Uhm T'Pol, those coordinates you gave me will cause us to intersect with that plasma storm in forty-two minutes."

"I am aware of that, however there is a Class-M planet approximately forty minutes from or position, the atmosphere is of a sufficient thickness that it should shield us from thestorm until it ends."

"Forty minutes... that's cutting it a little close, don't you think?"

"Given our rather limited time and options this is the best solution I can ascertain. Do you have a _better_ suggestion?" While to most observers her voice would have seemed level, Hoshi queued in on the subtle shift, and she didn't like it one bit.

"No, _sir_." She replied stiffly, and other than a slightly raised eyebrow T'Pol didn't acknowledge the verbal barb.

The shuttle pod raced forward as Hoshi put everything she could into the engines running them at one hundred and twenty five percent, if they sustained a speed that high they would almost certainly burn out an injector coil, but given the alternative, a burned out coil was a much more attractive option.

The atmosphere in the cabin was tense, and Hoshi kept glancing at the countdown on her board even as she tried to coax more speed from the already topped out shuttle pod. Thirty-eight minutes later T'Pol's board beeped in a much louder fashion than earlier, after looking at it her stomach dropped. "The storm is accelerating it will overtake us in thirty seconds."

Hoshi looked down at their current flight path and said somewhat desperately. "I need another minute to get us to the planet."

"Unfortunately we do not have that much time. Impact in twenty seconds."

"I'm gonna try and take us down anyway, you should strap in T'Pol, it's gonna get rough in a minute." She paused for a moment and looked over at her partner. "Look in case we don't make it out of this I just want to say I'm sorry about earlier T'Pol, and I want you to know I love you." Hoshi finished and swallowed a lump in her throat.

Looking up from her board and seeing the earnest expression in her partner's face in what could possibly be their final moments, she tried to relax her emotional suppression enough to say what she wanted to…no, _needed_ to say. "I know,_ ashal_, I… I lo-." The beeping increased its volume forcing T'Pol to break her gaze with Hoshi and return it to the console. "Impact in ten seconds...five seconds...three...two...one."

It started with a subtle increase in vibrations that were near instantly magnified to the point the entire shuttle pod was shaking as the inertial dampeners were overloaded and consoles began to spark as the power failed. Fortunately the outer shockwave had hit them at the right angle and instead of outright obliterating the shuttle pod it swept them up much like a tornado. That would have been the end, but by sheer dumb luck, Hoshi fired the thrusters which allowed the shuttle pod to break free from the shockwave and flung it in the direction of the class-M planet. Unfortunately, the ionized gas had damaged the shuttle pods' various systems.

"Hoshi, you're going to have to adjust your trajectory by fifteen degrees, we're coming in too steep and fast!" T'Pol yelled in an attempt to be heard over the roar of their re-entry.

"I'm trying, but the controls have locked up and the thrusters are offline. Come on, work damn it!" She yelled in a frustrated tone, slamming her fist against the flight board. For whatever reason it flared back to life, and she desperately adjusted their trajectory. Unfortunately the thrusters, after firing one burst died again. She prayed whatever they hit was soft enough to cushion the landing as the ground raced up to meet them, and if it wasn't, she hoped at least T'Pol survived.

"Brace for impact!" T'Pol managed to yell before the shuttle pod hit the ground in a huge boom, and she knew no more.

_7:25A.M. June 4__th__, 2166_

Captain Jackson Hunter was sitting at the desk in his ready room with his fingers laced together in deep introspection. T'Pol and Hoshi hadn't checked in with _Enterprise_ at the appointed time and had yet to make it to the rendezvous point, despite the fact that they were over a day late. Hunter was beginning to be concerned; both women were meticulous in their respective duties, and it was extremely out of character for either of them to go on an away mission without at least checking back in with _Enterprise_; that, more than them being late, had lead him to believe something unusual had happened. His console beeped, drawing his attention back to the surface and he saw it was a message from Ensign Cooke; the officer sitting in for Hoshi at the communication station.

"Yes Ensign?"

She looked slightly nervous; she was still green and it was her first time interacting directly with the captain. "Sir, you have an incoming transmission from Starfleet; it's from Admiral Black."

"Thank you Ms. Cooke, patch it through to my ready room."

She nodded seriously. "Right away, sir."

A few weeks ago during an attempt to negotiate the construction of several outposts along the Neutral Zone, _Enterprise _had encountered a group of Nausicaan mercenaries that had attacked the flagship and the negotiations. Upon further investigation of the Nausicaan vessels Lieutenant Khan, the tactical officer, found technology that had once belonged to the Romulans.

It appeared that the Romulans had hired the Nausicaans in an attempt to stop the Federation from building the outposts. When Hunter had filed a report to Starfleet Command with the evidence, the brass, still weary from the Earth/Romulan War, had said it was all circumstantial, and he was to basically sweep it under the rug. However Khan's findings led Hunter to believe that looking the other way was a potentially fatal mistake. After receiving the Admirals decision he had immediately contacted his direct supervisor to see if it could be overturned. It seemed that now he would get his response.

A grizzled face appeared on his console. "Jackson, how are you doing?" As he always did when addressing the Admiral, Hunter felt himself sit a little straighter.

"Fine sir, how's the weather in San Francisco?"

Black let a small smile appear on his face, though his voice was just as gruff as ever.

"Excellent as usual; it's about 80 degrees outside, but enough about that. Let's get down to business." He picked up a PADD and waved it for emphasis. "Now, I've read yours and Lieutenant Khan's reports and while your evidence is compelling, the rest of the brass feel it's not worth possibly stirring up another conflict with the Romulans when we barely won the last one. The justification being used is that the Nausicaans are a scavenger species and could have acquired the technology through other means than the Romulans which, while highly unlikely, is possible."

Hunter felt the rebuttal forming in his mind already but something made him hold it back.

Black seemed to notice the captain restraining himself; he smirked for a moment before continuing. "Unfortunately I have to tell you that the decision of the Admirals stands; your orders remain to return the Su-Nian to her home world and attempt to establish diplomatic ties with their government."

He looked intently at Hunter; his blue eyes seemed to drill holes into the Captain. "However, I unlike some of my fellow Admirals, have spent time actually commanding a starship and know that there other factors to a situation than what appears on the surface. And as your direct supervisor, I _highly _recommend you continue to look at those other factors in a situation and investigate them thoroughly. The most important thing is to remember not all situations require you to be heavy handed; sometimes a scapula is better than a sword…is that understood?"

Hunter had to fight not to grin; Black had essentially told Hunter to unofficially continue digging for info to try and procure more evidence...but to tread lightly. "Perfectly, sir."

Black nodded briefly. "Good…oh and Hunter, I was reviewing your report and it said you would reach the Su-Nian home world in three months?"

The Captain frowned. "Yes sir, that is correct."

"Well I doubled checked your projections and actually it will take you closer to four months. You might want to make sure your course projections are accurate next time, Hunter."

So it seemed he had four months to find some more evidence _and_ deliver Sarnovia to the Su-Nian home world. "Understood sir, it won't happen again."

"See that it doesn't, Black out." The Admiral's face disappeared, leaving the olive branch of the UFP on his screen.

Hunter leaned back in his chair and mentally placed the Romulan situation on the back burner. Although it was a major issue, the most important thing right now was trying to locate his missing crewmen and bringing them back home. That was of course assuming they were still alive.

Having the First and Second Officer lost or killed would be a huge blow to morale and could fracture the trust between the crew and the Captain. He knew that bond was a very fragile thing in the beginning of a new command, and a sever compromise could easily lead to mutiny, especially for a crew that had worked together for only a few short months. That added to the fact was that he considered both women friends and was concerned for their safety on a personal level as well.

Not liking what he had to do one bit, he opened a channel to the bridge. "This is the Captain to the bridge, we are now considering Shuttle Pod One as lost; begin search and recovery protocols. Hunter out."

He closed the channel and sighed; by starting search and recovery protocols he had taken the first step in a chain of events that would either end in the return of his crewmen to _Enterprise_ or forcing him to declare them lost or killed in the line of duty.

He sincerely hoped it was the first option.

_11:24A.M. June 4__th__, 2166_

The sounds of birds chirping greeted T'Pol as she groaned and opened her eyes. It took a moment for her head to clear, but the memory of the crash landing washed over her. Immediately her mind went to Hoshi. She tried to get out of her chair, noticing after the fact that she was being held in place by the seat's harness. She released it and stood up. Other than some dizziness and a few cuts and bruises on her face, she felt okay. She made her way over to Hoshi's chair, only stumbling slightly in the process.

The sight she saw next would remain with her for the rest of her natural life; Hoshi had a pool of blood around her head on the flight board, there were cuts and contusions adorning her face and she was pale…so very pale. She looked…dead.

Hesitantly and hoping against hope she would feel some sign of life, T'Pol placed her fingers on Hoshi's neckline and felt for a pulse. She found it. Although it was shallow and fluttery, the knowledge that her _t'hy'la_ was still alive made her nearly collapse from relief.

Assured that Hoshi was alive at least for the moment, she gathered her mental control, which had been dangerously close to slipping, and after retrieving a hand scanner from a nearby compartment, she ran it over her partner.

The news she received from the scan wasn't good: in addition to the obvious head trauma, Hoshi had a fractured clavicle, a cerebral edema, and a grade three concussion that had put her into a light coma. T'Pol battled momentary despair; Hoshi's condition went far beyond her meager medical skills to treat, and there was a high possibility of her partner's death if she didn't receive proper medical treatment.

Unfortunately the planet they were on boasted no intelligent life forms above lower primates, so she was on her own. Following the instructions from the hand scanner precisely, she injected Hoshi with a powerful round of antibiotics, mannitol and analgesics from the emergency medical kit. Hopefully it would be enough to give Hoshi an edge in the fight for her life, but either way, it was out of her hands at this point. Returning to the compartment she retrieved another hand scanner and set it for a continuous scan, which was to alert her to the slightest change in Hoshi's condition either for the better or worse.

After that was accomplished, she began running the hand scanner over various parts of the shuttle pod and wasn't surprised when she learned it was damaged beyond repair. They were limited to emergency power but had no life support. However the latter was not much of a problem; the planet they had landed on had a breathable atmosphere and the temperatures were rather mild. Fortune had also smiled on them as the shuttle's superstructure had remained in roughly one piece, so it could function as a shelter for the foreseeable future.

Satisfied that they had a rather secure home for their stay on this planet, T'Pol mentally checked that off her list and moved to the aft compartment to check on their food supply. The rear section of the shuttle hadn't fared nearly as well as the front; there was a large hole in the rear and starboard hull. Upon a closer inspection she found that back of one of the food compartments had been sheared open; presumably during their crash landing.

In other words: half of their food supply was gone.

Since a shuttle pod was a short distant craft it was normally stocked with enough rations to sustain a crew of two for a month. While T'Pol didn't expect that they'd be on this planet for a month, a week or two was a very realistic possibility. That meant that she would have to begin foraging for food immediately in order to make sure they had an adequate supply. Since the back of the shuttle pod was compromised, she gathered up all the remaining food and water and took it to the forward cabin, then returned for the air mattresses and blankets.

She must have been worse off than she realized, for by the time she had completed her trip she could barely stand. She sat on one of the mattresses and pulled the tab on a bag of vegetable broth which heated immediately, allowing her to sip on it. When she finished her meal she laid back and let her body relax.

At some point she must have fallen asleep because when she next sat up it was dark outside.

For a moment she wasn't sure why she had woken up, but then she heard the shrill alarm of the hand scanner she had set up to monitor Hoshi. Without thinking she rushed over to her _t'hy'la_ to check on her and was relieved to see that according to the readout the swelling in Hoshi's brain had gone down enough that it was safe to move her.

Although she was still in a coma, T'Pol was nonetheless grateful for the improvement in Hoshi's condition. With the utmost gentleness, she unbuckled the harness and carried her to the other mattress where she laid her down, covered her with a blanket, and placed the scanner next to her again. Satisfied Hoshi was resting as comfortable as possible, she went to the medical kit and injected herself with 20cc's of innaproviline to help with the beginning of a headache that was presumably from her overexertion and lack of sleep or meditation. Almost immediately she felt the mounting tension in her head and neck ease, and she was able to think clearer.

Since she was now fully awake, T'Pol decided to make the most of her time and see if she could salvage enough parts from the pod to make a subspace beacon so that _Enterprise _could locate them quicker. However without the proper tools, T'Pol was forced to improvise and even with her own formidable intelligence, skill, and ingenuity, it was extremely slow going and despite working for several hours she made very little progress.

On and on this went as the hours melted into a day, then two, and eventually a week. Despite herself, T'Pol had to admit that the loneliness and monotony were beginning to wear on her. She mused that she was so used to spending time around humans, Hoshi in particular, that she must have begun pick up some of their habits.

She had been fortunate to discover a spring of water nearby and several species of native vegetation that were safe to consume, but other than that nothing of consequence happened. There was no noticeable improvement in Hoshi's condition, and her subspace beacon showed negligible process at best.

Her mantra became that she would succeed, she would protect Hoshi…and that _Enterprise _would come rescue them.

Failure was not an option.

_1:30A.M. June 12__th__, 2166_

Despite having access to their flight plan it had still taken the crew of _Enterprise_ several days to find the place most likely where Hoshi and T'Pol's shuttle pod had disappeared, however any further rescue efforts had been called off because a class two plasma storm was currently ravishing the sector of space they needed to be in, and according to early projections it would remain put for several more days.

The sight of the plasma storm had diminished hope of a rescue, because despite no one saying so, they all knew a vessel as large and well armored as _Enterprise _wouldn't have lasted long in a storm like that; a shuttle pod would have almost instantly been destroyed.

It was still possible that they had made it to one of the planets in the sector prior to the storm hitting, but the probability seemed low. Plasma storms often dropped out of sub-space with no warning, stayed in a system for days or weeks, and then vanished as suddenly as they appeared.

As Hunter had feared, the situation had started to erode at ship morale, and his concern for both his ship and missing officers had caused him some difficulty sleeping over the past few days. So tonight, for a change of pace he had come to the mess hall in hopes of a little peace and quiet as well as escaping the confines of his quarters.

Stepping through the large double doors he headed to the beverage dispenser and ordered up a warm apple cider when he heard a voice behind him. "Captain?"

Turning around he saw Sarnovia Lyatna, the Su-Nian they had rescued a few weeks ago, standing behind him. He didn't know how he had missed noticing someone else was in the mess hall when he entered. That of course caused the uncomfortable thought that he might be losing his edge to dance in the back of his mind. Feeling slightly disturbed, he eyed her somewhat warily and inclined his head. "Good evening Ms. Lyatna."

"Good evening Captain, you're up late tonight." She observed.

Hunter hesitated, unsure what to say before deciding on, "I couldn't sleep."

"I share your problem captain, and since it seems the _Synto_ won't be visiting either of us this night, would you mind if I joined you for a beverage?"

Although he had been intending to spend this time alone, perhaps it was a good idea for him to spend this time with Sarnovia. A good conversation might just be what the doctor ordered.

"Not at all, what is the '_Synto_?'"

She flushed slightly. "The _Synto_ is a creature from a child's tale that grants sleep to people."

"Ah I see. We have a similar tale on my home world; we call that creature the Sandman. What can I get you to drink?"

"What you are having smells nice."

He smiled. "It's a fruit beverage called apple cider. It can be served chilled or hot. Personally on a night like this I like it hot with a hint of cinnamon."

She matched his smile with one of her own. "Then I will have a 'hot apple cider' as well."

He passed her his glass before ordering up another one for himself. They sat at one of the smaller tables and took sips of their beverages. "So, Ms. Lyatna…how has everything been going lately?" he asked somewhat lamely.

She seemed to consider his inquiry seriously before answering. "Well, I have enjoyed my time aboard the _Enterprise_ thus far; your crew is both kind and helpful, and I've found the opportunity to learn about your species fascinating, even under the given circumstances. But I most liked the party that was hosted a few weeks ago. Is another event scheduled any time soon?"

Hunter whom had been reliving his favorite part of the evening, which was when he was dancing with Sarnovia and had stared deep into her golden eyes, seeing a profound sense of pain and loss. Along with that pain had been something else, something that had made him want to hold her and not let go…quickly he snapped back into the conversation and out of that uncomfortable train of thought. "No, there isn't anything scheduled to happen for awhile."

She took a sip of her drink "A pity…but perhaps you can tell me why you can't sleep, Captain."

Hunter had to resist breaking out in a smirk; Sarnovia may have addressed him as 'Captain' but her tone and interaction with him were more like that of an old friend rather than as the Commanding Officer of a starship. To him, it was a unique experience and he found that he rather enjoyed it. "I could ask you the same thing Ms. Lyatna."

She waved a hand. "Please call me Sarnovia, Captain."

He hesitated for a moment; a very large part of him was telling him to return her kindness by allowing him to use his first name, and although she wasn't part of his crew, he realized if he did grant her that privilege, it would change their interaction with each other to a more personal level. "In that case… I think I would appreciate it if you would call me Jackson when we are in private."

She smiled brightly, saying that it would be her pleasure. That seemed to spark the conversation, and both talked for several hours discovering shared interests and forgetting why they were up in the first place.

Sarnovia caught a glance at the chronometer in the corner and realized with a start it was nearly five in the morning, and while she didn't have much to do during the day the Captain did, so although still quite alert she faked a yawn and declared she was turning in. She thanked the Captain for the company and the apple cider and promptly disappeared to her quarters, leaving a disappointed Hunter alone.

He sat in the mess hall for a few more moments clutching an empty glass finding it ironic that he had originally wanted to spend some time alone but had encountered Sarnovia, but now that she was gone he no longer wished to be alone, finding the quiet and solitude pressing. Purely for pride's sake he toughed it out for a few more minutes before he conceded defeat and left as well.

_8:30A.M. July 16__th__, 2166_

After two weeks on the planet, T'Pol had developed a daily routine. Although a rather nasty storm had set in the previous night, the weather had affected no change in the routine. The first thing she did was check on Hoshi and just like nearly every day her _t'hy'la's_ condition hadn't really improved. She then spent an hour holding Hoshi's hand to let her know she wasn't alone, even though she knew logically that Hoshi couldn't hear or respond to her, it allowed her day to go by smoother and was the only small comfort she allowed herself.

After that was complete she would go and bolster any supplies they needed and take a bath in the nearby spring. When she returned to the shuttle she spent the remainder of her waking hours working on her subspace beacon. It was during one of her excursions back to the shuttle pod that her communicator chirped for the first time since their marooning.

Quickly she flipped it open. "T'Pol here." Although her voice was calm she felt a surge of happiness that made her stomach flip.

The Captain's voice came over loud and clear, and T'Pol could hear the relief and smile in his voice. _"Commander, it's great to hear your voice again. How are you and Hoshi holding up?"_

"I am fine however Hosh...Commander Sato has sustained serious injuries. I am requesting an emergency beam out." She said.

She could hear the tension in the captain's voice when he answered. _"Acknowledged, standby..." _A few moments later, Hoshi's form sparkled and disappeared. It seemed to take forever before the Captain reported back to her "_We have her in the transporter room."_

A sigh of relief escaped her, and a moment later she felt the unsettling sensation of dematerialization.

The moment she re-solidified she was running off the dais and out of the transporter room. Over her shoulder she heard the transporter officer reporting presumably to the Captain. "Yes we've got her sir. I don't know, she ran off before-"

Several crewman stopped and stared as she ran past them, no doubt they were unused to seeing the X.O in a worn and torn uniform looking like...well like she had spent the last few weeks outdoors, she made it to the turbo lift and as fate would have it, the doors were opening as various personnel stepped off.

Upon her arrival at sickbay, a nurse intercepted her at the door and told her that he was to exam her. Evidentially someone had called ahead and told them she was coming. He seemed surprised when she readily agreed. Perhaps he was expecting her to resist or act hysterical, but she realized that logically, the sooner she finished this, the sooner she could check on her _t'hy'la_.

During her examination, the sickbay doors opened and the Captain walked in with a tense expression on his face. He immediately made a beeline for the nurse. "Report."

The nurse looked up from his scans, "Other than some cuts and bruises, Commander T'Pol is in perfect health, and Dr. Sveck is still with Commander Sato."

Almost as if his name had summoned him, Dr. Artimus Sveck, _Enterprise's_ odd C.M.O, appeared. Gone was the normally dreamy look he usually had on his face; it was replaced by razor sharp intensity and focus. "Captain, Commander, I'm afraid it's not looking good. In addition to several broken bones, Commander Sato has suffered a moderate cerebral edema as well as a serious concussion and is in a coma." He paused for a moment, "I'm also afraid that there is significant brain damage."

"What kind of brain damage doctor?" asked T'Pol in as level a voice as she could muster.

Sveck sighed and after punching a few commands into the computer he pulled up a scan of Hoshi's brain and pointed to the affected area. "As you can see, she is suffering from nuero- pathway degradation centered mainly along her memory receptors. I believe she is suffering from traumatic retrograde amnesia, but as to what extent it has affected her memory, I can't say." He shook his head. "Even with modern medical techniques, brain injuries are among the hardest to diagnose and treat; she may have lost a week, or her whole identity. We'll have to wait till she wakes up to know for sure." He minimized the scan and turned to T'Pol, "Can you tell me how this happened? Any details you can give me might help me treat her more effectively."

T'Pol filled them in on what had happened during the accident and everything up until the point of the rescue. When she finished Sveck looked thoughtful. "That would explain the trauma; I have to say she is quite lucky to be alive after a crash like that. I daresay if you hadn't have been with her she would be much worse off."

T'Pol was desperately fighting the despair that was threatening to consume her as she faced Sveck."What are her options looking like doctor?"

"Well I've already begun to treat her broken bones. They should be healed within a few days. As for her head trauma, I'd like to begin treating her with direct cellular regeneration therapy that's going to allow her brain to repair some of its damage, but I must warn you that unlike other parts of the human body, the brain, much like the heart, has very limited regeneration abilities. Even with this therapy, she will almost certainly have some remaining memory loss."

Hunter glanced at T'Pol who seemed to be undergoing an internal struggle, so he smoothly took over questioning Sveck. "How long before you can bring her out of the coma?"

"Over the next few days; I'd like to do it slowly instead of all at once, plus I'd like to repair as much damage as possible before I bring her out of It." replied Sveck

"Thank you doctor, please keep me informed."

Sveck nodded and disappeared to the back off sickbay. When he was gone, Hunter turned to T'Pol who looked unsteady on her feet. "T'Pol, I want you to know that I understand that you probably want to spend some time with Hoshi, so consider yourself off duty for the next few days."

"Thank you captain, but that's not necessary." T'Pol replied to a shocked Hunter. "Logic would dictate I can do nothing to help Hoshi's condition, whereas I can help with the running of _Enterprise _so I would best be served by returning to duty." She elaborated.

"Are you sure? Senford has agreed to cover for you for awhile and-"

She cut him off. "I am sure captain. With your permission I'd like to return to duty tomorrow."

Hunter was almost certain that there was more to T'Pol's request than what 'logic would dictate,' but as her C.O. he had no reason _not_ to let her return to duty so he agreed...albeit reluctantly. T'Pol thanked him, and then made a vague reference about wanting to return to her quarters so Hunter dismissed her.

Hunter knew that Vulcans claimed not to experience emotions. He also knew from spending time with T'Pol, that the statement was utter rubbish. They may not express their emotions or even feel them as deeply as humans, but they were still there. He was sure that T'Pol was devastated by Hoshi's condition even if she wouldn't admit it, and that was at least partially the reason she had been so adamant about returning to duty…so she could bury the feeling beneath her work.

He couldn't force T'Pol to come face to face with her feelings, but as her friend, he'd keep an eye out for her even if she wouldn't admit she needed or wanted it.

_5:00 P.M. June 19__th__, 2166_

T'Pol stood slightly back as Dr. Sveck made his final preparations to bring Hoshi out of her coma. Over the past few days with news of Hoshi's condition spreading over _Enterprise,_ T'Pol had become the recipient of several well wishers, including a slightly hysterical Ensign Jacobs. While she appreciated that they were concerned with her _t'hy'la,_ she wished that they would leave her alone. She was already having enough trouble getting her thoughts and emotions under control, and dealing with other people was taxing her reserves further. Maybe Hunter had been right in his assessment that she should take some time off.

"I'm ready to begin, Commander." T'Pol nodded that he should proceed, feeling a sensation in her stomach that Human's described as 'butterflies.' Sveck placed a hypospray against Hoshi's neck and emptied its contents into her bloodstream.

The effect was almost immediate. Hoshi's eyes began to flutter and a moment later they opened completely. "Welcome back, Commander." said Sveck with a smile on his face.

"Where am I?" Her face registered confusion, and her voice was hoarse from lack of use.

"You are in sickbay onboard the _Enterprise_."

The confused expression remained. "Who are you? Where is Dr. Phlox?"

"I am Doctor Sveck. Can you tell me what year is it Hoshi?" He asked, ignoring her second question as he began to run a scanner over her.

Hoshi looked puzzled. "It's 2151, why?"

T'Pol's stomach sank, it appeared Hoshi had lost the last fifteen years and believed she was on the original _Enterprise, _which explained her question as to Dr. Phlox's whereabouts.

Sveck continued his questioning. "There was an accident Hoshi, what is the last thing you remember?"

It was obvious Hoshi was beginning to panic. "What are you talking about, where is Doctor Phlox and why did you call me Commander?"

T'Pol decided to step in and assist Sveck who was obviously losing control of the situation. Hoshi spotted her and looked relived to see a face she recognized. "Sub-Commander, thank goodness you're here, can you tell me what's going on and who this guy is?" She jerked her thumb in Sveck's direction.

T'Pol explained the situation to Hoshi, who looked dumbfounded after the Vulcan had finished.

"So you're telling me I was in a shuttle crash on an away mission that I don't remember going on and now I have amnesia and have forgotten the last fifteen years of my life?" She asked slowly

"Yes, that is correct." T'Pol, who was both amazed and pleased that Hoshi was processing the situation so well, replied.

"Well I just have one question then."

"What would that be?" asked Sveck kindly.

"Are you guys serious? Is this like some kind of joke Travis came up with? 'Hey I know let's pretend Hoshi has amnesia,' that's it right?" She asked in a half disbelieving, half desperate tone.

T'Pol tried not to sigh. "No it is not a joke, as you are undoubtedly aware Hoshi, Vulcans don't make jokes."

That seemed to make the younger woman pause; she went to rub her head and gave a yelp of pain.

"What's wrong?" Sveck asked her.

Hoshi winced, "My collarbone hurts."

He ran his scanner over the injury. "Well it was fractured, so I repaired it but it will be tender for a few days."

"Fractured, how the hell did that happen?"

T'Pol answered before Sveck could. "It happened during the accident."

"Ah yes, 'the accident.'"

T'Pol did finally sigh. "Hoshi, since you've known me, have I ever lied to you?"

That more than anything seemed to reach the young woman and her face fell. She was quiet for several minutes before looking up with a sort of defeated air. "I guess you guys are telling the truth, as hard as it is to believe." She looked weary all of a sudden. "Doctor…Sveck was it?" He nodded. "Can I go to my quarters for the rest of the night? I need some time alone... to process all this."

Sveck looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well, I suppose. You're stable, and it might jar your memory being in a familiar surrounding...okay you can go, but you have to wear a mobile monitor, and I want you back here first thing tomorrow."

Hoshi looked grateful. "Deal."

After she had changed clothes, Sveck placed a small metal rectangular device against her temple and calibrated it to monitor all her vital signs. Once he was done, he disappeared into his office. Hoshi paused for a minute, and looked around in confusion before she turned to T'Pol. "Umm, I don't know where my quarters are...you wouldn't happen to know where they are would you?"

"I do, please follow me." The Vulcan said. As they walked in silence, T'Pol was trying her best to maintain her space and impassiveness, despite her wanting to do nothing more than take Hoshi into her arms and not let go. Somehow though, she didn't think in her current condition Hoshi would appreciate that very much.

"So…" Hoshi said interrupting the silence. "I noticed you called me Hoshi instead of by my rank, you've never done that before…well, that I can remember anyway. Are we friends now or something?"

T'Pol paused for a moment deciding how to answer; finally she decided to tell the truth...or at least some of it. "Yes, prior to your injury we both considered the other her closest friend."

Hoshi laughed nervously. "Well don't take this the wrong way Sub-Commander, but I have a hard time imagining us as close friends. No offense but we've never gotten along very well from my recollection."

T'Pol tried to put the comment in context of the situation, but it still stung to hear Hoshi say that. "None taken, over the years we have come to an understanding of sorts."

Hoshi shrugged. "Well I hope my injury isn't an obstacle to our understanding."

The Vulcan's response was very quiet. "As do I."

Once they finally arrived at Hoshi's quarters, she keyed the door open and stepped in. "Thanks...umm, would you like to come in?"

The Vulcan stepped back and placed her hands behind her back; Hoshi's tone and body language indicated she was making the offer out of good manners as opposed to any desire to spend time with her. Although she wanted to spend this time with her partner, she wouldn't intrude.

"No thank you, perhaps another time. If you are in need of anything please let me know."

"Sure…well goodnight."

The door slid shut cutting her off from her _t'hy'la._ "Pleasant dreams… _ashal_." She whispered before turning around and heading to her quarters

_8:00P.M. June 23__rd__, 2166_

The memory danced on the edge of her mind, just out of reach but tantalizingly close. Over the past few days Hoshi had managed to recover some of her missing memories. Usually that was triggered by familiar locations or people, however that didn't seem to be the case this time.

She held the picture, staring at it intently, willing her mind to remember, but it continued to hover slightly out of reach. It was a picture of T'Pol, depicting the Vulcan in the mess hall of what was presumably the current _Enterprise, _with the tiniest of smiles adorning her normally impassive face. She had found it sitting on her nightstand next to the one of her family, the morning after she had been discharged to her quarters. She supposed T'Pol had been telling the truth about them being close friends after all, though something about the placing of the picture seemed off to her, and try as she might she couldn't remember anything about their interaction with each other.

She'd ask T'Pol about it, but other than the night she had escorted Hoshi to her quarters she hadn't seen the Vulcan at all, and she couldn't seem to get in contact with her either; she was either on the bridge for long periods of time or whenever she did return to her quarters her comm. system was set to block all communications short of a ship emergency; leaving her to determine the picture's nature by herself.

Her door chime rang shaking her out of her thoughts which was probably a good thing because she was beginning to get frustrated. Breathing a loud sigh, she called out for her visitor to enter, and a moment later the door slid back to admit Laura Jacobs, who wasted no time in striding into Hoshi's quarters

"Are you ready to go?" She asked anxiously.

Hoshi and Jacobs had resumed their prior friendship and were nearly as close as they were prior to Hoshi's accident, which was a good thing for Hoshi, as Jacobs filled in a lot of the blanks for her, but she seemed hesitant to divulge anything about the picture, only commenting that it had been 'taken recently.'

"Yeah, just give me a minute." Hoshi disappeared into the bathroom to apply some finishing touches to her appearance.

Jacobs rocked on the balls of her feet impatiently for few minutes before she said, "Come on Hoshi, we're going to be late!" Both women were attending the Captain's birthday party, and Jacobs in particular was anxious to make a good impression by being on time to a party…for once.

"I'm coming." Hoshi appeared in the doorway. "How do I look?"

Jacobs looked over her friend, who was dressed in a long navy blue dress that enhanced her lean athletic figure by showing of her shoulders and cleavage. She wore a pair of matching sapphire earrings, and she had her hair done in a customary ponytail. "Wow." Jacobs was temporarily struck dumb by Hoshi's appearance; her friend looked beautiful.

Hoshi smiled, "Alright then, let's go." When both ladies entered the mess hall, they found the party was just beginning. Jacobs immediately signaled a ship steward over and requested he bring her a stiff whiskey on the rocks and a fruit juice cocktail for Hoshi who, on doctor's orders wasn't allowed to consume alcohol for the time being.

Once their drinks arrived, Jacobs anxiously surveyed the party. "Do you see Senford?"

Hoshi was reminded of a teenage girl who was about to ask out the 'Big Man on Campus,' and she tried not to smirk. "He's over there." She said, pointing out the tall man who was talking to Sarnovia, Captain Hunter, and an attractive lieutenant who Hoshi vaguely remembered working in security. Jacobs practically grew fangs upon seeing the security officer. "Come on." She hissed, grabbing Hoshi's hand and pulling her towards the foursome.

Hunter smiled when he saw them coming. "Laura, Hoshi, I'm glad you could both make it."

Hoshi answered for them both as Jacobs was busy glaring daggers at the security officer. "We're happy to be here Captain, happy birthday."

He smiled kindly at her. "Thank you it's good to see you up again, how are you feeling?"

Hoshi wished people would stop asking her how she felt. "About the same." She replied, shrugging.

As the party rolled along, Hoshi listened to them talk for awhile, but other than occasionally adding in a comment or laughing at a joke, she didn't contribute much. During a lull in the conversation, she spotted T'Pol sitting alone at a table near the serving area, and, figuring now was a good time to corner the elusive Vulcan, she politely excused herself under the pretext of getting another drink.

T'Pol was deep in thought and didn't notice Hoshi until she was standing at her table. "Hello Commander, do you mind if I have a seat?"

Hoshi swore the Vulcan looked uncomfortable.

"No, please join me." She said after a brief hesitation. They sat together in an awkward silence before Hoshi decided to get the ball rolling

"So… anything new going on?"

T'Pol seemed to examine her for a moment before she spoke. "Nothing of interest had occurred recently. How are you feeling?"

Hoshi sighed. "As okay as I can be in this situation, it's hard dealing with people who know you but you have no idea who they are."

T'Pol took a sip of water; more to give herself some thinking time rather than any need for the liquid. "I imagine it must offer a...unique set of challenges. If I may be of any assistance please let me know."

There was a moment of silence. "Do you mean that?"

T'Pol's eyebrow rose. "Of course, otherwise I would not have offered."

Hoshi nodded seriously. "Well in that case, I do need your help. I was looking through my quarters and I found a picture on my nightstand...a picture of you. I was hoping you could tell me about it."

T'Pol was silent for a long time before she finally said, "It was an item you requested from me several weeks ago."

"Why did I request it?" Hoshi asked, feeling like she wasn't getting the whole story.

"You said it was for 'prosperity.'" The Vulcan replied carefully.

Hoshi didn't know why, but something about the way she and the Vulcan were interacting seemed vaguely familiar. However, she couldn't remember anything specific, which just added to the general frustration of the situation. She felt her voice rising slightly. "What were the circumstances involved with me asking you for a picture in the first place? I don't have pictures of anyone else onboard _Enterprise _besides you, why?"

"Perhaps that is because you have yet to request pictures from them."

Hoshi was about to start yelling, but a fragment of her memory returned, and her argument died in her throat. "I...remember."

T'Pol froze, and a note of uncertainty crept into her voice. "Hoshi?"

The younger woman started recounting the new memory slowly. "We were sitting in here and…we were looking over Senford's upgrades to the computer core, and talking about my family. I told you how I always keep a picture of them on my nightstand." She paused for a moment in apparent concentration before continuing. "You asked me why I kept a picture of them there and I said because they are important to me. Then I said I didn't have a picture of you and you asked why I'd want one. I said…you're the most important person in my life and even if we're not with each other, your face is the last thing I want to see every night...before...I fall asleep…" She trailed off, a look of confusion on her face. A moment later that look was replaced by shock, which quickly morphed into anger. "T'Pol, before my accident what exactly was our relationship? Were we more than friends?"

T'Pol was backed into a corner. There was no way of dissembling out of this one, slowly she nodded.

"Oh. My. God... I can't believe you didn't tell me that, T'Pol!" She hissed.

T'Pol was uncomfortable that they were having this discussion in public; she would have suggested they move to another venue, but judging by the look on Hoshi's face, that wasn't an option. Nonetheless, she lowered her voice to just above a whisper. "I thought it was for the best, you seemed to be having a...difficult time acclimating yourself to this situation, and I didn't want to make it any harder for you."

"And you thought this way would be easier?" Hoshi asked, her voice slightly rising in pitch.

"No. I was hoping to have this discussion at a later date when more of your memory had returned. In such a case you may have remembered our relationship; making such a discussion irrelevant."

Hoshi ran an aggravated hand through her hair. "I don't like the fact you were going to let me flounder in the dark on some hypothetical situation you cooked up."

T'Pol looked puzzled. At least…as puzzled as she could look. "I made myself available to help you whenever you need me."

"Oh. Of course, and does 'making yourself available' include shutting off your comm. system?" She asked the Vulcan in a scathing tone.

"I have been feeling...ill lately, and have been indisposed for the past few days, which is why I have not been receiving any comm. messages. However I assure you, my intention was not to isolate myself from you."

Hoshi felt dumb as well as insensitive for taking her frustration out on T'Pol, who was only trying to help her, even if she didn't like the way she went about it. She lowered her voice and head. "I'm sorry…I didn't know you were sick, it's just that…this whole situation sucks and I'm angry all the time and I'm confused easily and-"

She was interrupted by T'Pol reaching over and hugging her. That was all it took; all of Hoshi's emotions came pouring out, and she began to cry on T'Pol's shoulder.

Those people that were nearby gave the couple some space and averted their eyes, realizing something important and extremely personal was happening.

A moment later, Hoshi let out a shaky laugh and released T'Pol, her composure returning. "I'm sorry; I ruined your robes, just had a breakdown in public and didn't even find out if you're feeling better."

T'Pol shook her head. "Under the circumstances, it is understandable, but perhaps we could continue this discussion in one of our-" She was interrupted by the ship shaking violently nearly knocking them from their seats. A moment later the wail of the klaxon for Red Alert sounded which was immediately followed by a call from the bridge by Lieutenant Khan for all personnel to report to battle stations.

A look of sincere regret quickly passed along the Vulcan's features and she gently clasped hands with her partner."I'm sorry Hoshi, but we'll have to finish this discussion later." She finished with a small squeeze before standing and quickly heading to the door.

Hoshi hesitated for a moment debating whether or not to follow; she was still technically on medical leave but her amnesia had not affected her ability to perform her duties, and Captain Hunter might need her at communications… however she didn't want to report to the bridge and possibly cause a distraction. She wavered back and forth, but the decision was taken out of her hands when Hunter waved to catch her eye and beckoned her to follow him. She tried to keep up with him, but it was difficult with the mass of people around them hurrying to their various stations.

He examined her critically as they boarded the turbo lift. "Are you up to covering communications?"

"Yes sir." She was grateful he hadn't mentioned anything about her eyes being red and puffy.

He nodded saying nothing else; trusting her to know enough about her condition and if she was ready or not to report to the bridge.

The door slid opened and they stepped onto the bridge and Hoshi couldn't help but notice everyone other than Lieutenant Khan was in casual clothing giving the bridge a rather odd look.

"Report." Hunter ordered, dropping into his chair.

Khan looked up from his board, "An unknown vessel dropped out of warp and began attacking us. All attempts to hail them have thus far been unsuccessful."

"Hoshi, open a channel on all frequencies."

"Channel open."

"Unknown Vessel, this is Captain Jackson Hunter of the Federation Starship _Enterprise_, cease fire immediately." _Enterprise _was jolted by another volley of alien fire.

"Shields at sixty four percent." Khan reported.

Hoshi followed him up a second later. "No response to our hail, sir."

"Captain, I'm detecting no life signs aboard the ship." T'Pol informed everyone.

"No life signs? How is that possible?" Hunter asked.

"Perhaps it is being controlled remotely or robotically." Speculated T'Pol as _Enterprise _shook again.

Khan yelled over the din of sparking consoles. "Shields at fifty two percent!"

The Captain's face was a grim line. "Power the phase cannons and fire."

"Firing phase cannons...no effect."

"Helm, evasive maneuvers! Mr. Khan load the aft torpedo banks and fire!"

As Ensign Jacobs struggled to avoid the enemy fire, Lieutenant Khan locked onto the vessel and fired four photonic torpedoes while continuing with random bursts of fire from the phase cannons.

"Confirmed hit on enemy vessel...Captain our weapons are having no effect whatsoever." Khan stared in disbelief.

_Enterprise _took a vicious hit, and consoles continued to spark around them while the lighting went dim as the ship tried to draw more power to its failing shields.

"Shields at twenty percent!"

"We have hull breeches on decks five, seven, eight and ten. Emergency teams are in place." Hoshi reported.

Hunter began shouting out orders. "Laura, get us out of here maximum warp! Hoshi, instruct those teams to evacuate those decks then standby! T'Pol, get me as much information on that ship as you can!"

A chorus of "'Aye sir' and 'Yes Captain,'" accompanied his orders, followed shortly by the whine of the warp engines coming online. Unlike under normal travel conditions when the warp engines were at maximum, they sent vibrations throughout the ship giving the ship the illusion of travelling over bumpy terrain. Hoshi always felt a little queasy by the sensation.

"Captain, they're matching our speed." Jacobs said tersely.

"Hunter to engineering."

"Engineering here," LaForge's voice was strained, and the loud commotion of Engineering could be heard in the background.

"Senford, how long can we maintain maximum warp?"

There was a brief pause in which the chief engineer could be heard directing traffic. "_Enterprise _is rated to maintain maximum warp for fourteen hours, but I wouldn't suggest running the warp drive any longer than ten hours, otherwise you'll wreck the plasma injectors and possibly the warp manifold. You're not going to try and run it that long, are you?"

The Captain sighed. "I don't know, but be prepared for the possibility. Hunter out."

"Captain, two more vessels have joined with the first one." Khan reported, and Hunter rubbed the bridge of his nose worriedly; this situation was quickly going from bad to worse.

"Captain, I believe I have found a way to damage the ships." Hunter turned to face T'Pol, nodding for her to continue.

"Their shields use a modulating frequency that I believe a full power hit from the phase cannons in conjunction with tight transporter beam can cut through the shields. We could use that to beam a torpedo onboard the ships."

"Okay. T'Pol, report to the transporter room." He pressed a button to on his chair.

"Captain to the armory, we need three torpedoes delivered to the transporter room immediately."A few minutes later, T'Pol called the bridge to report she was ready to proceed.

The Captain gripped his chair tightly. "Ensign Jacobs, drop us out of warp and bring us about one-quarter impulse. Mr. Khan, lower the shields, polarize the hull plating, and charge the phase cannons.

Khan charged the cannons and fired at the coordinates T'Pol had sent to his station from the transporter room. A second later, one of the pursuing vessels exploded in a brilliant shower of escaping plasma and scorched bulkheads. The other two didn't hesitate to turn their disruptor fire on _Enterprise_.

Khan reported the damage even as he targeted the second ship. "Hull plating has lost forty percent integrity."A moment later, one of the other ships joined the first one as a piece of floating debris. Unfortunately, by this point, _Enterprise _was in pretty bad shape.

"Hull plating is failing." Unlike the first two, the last ship was still firing on them, and for some reason it was taking T'Pol much longer to get rid of the last one.

Hunter resisted the urge to call and see what the holdup was. He knew T'Pol was doing everything she could, and he'd only hinder progress by breathing down her neck. Finally, the third ship was destroyed, and not a moment too soon by anyone's estimation.

"This is the captain to all hands, stand down condition red. Ensign Jacobs, set a course to the nearest planet, best possible speed." As the various damage reports came in the captain thought ruefully that this would be a birthday to remember.

_6:00P.M. July 4__th__, 2166_

Despite regaining a few more memories about her relationship with T'Pol, Hoshi hadn't had a chance to talk to the Vulcan about them, due to the fact that both women were swamped with helping to repair _Enterprise._ Both had next to no free time what with the double shifts they were working.

Finally though, the repairs were far enough along that they could cut back on their hours, which was a good thing as far as Hoshi was concerned. She didn't know how much longer she could maintain such a schedule, and she wasn't the only one. The captain was even talking about arranging shore leave in the next few days at a nearby Class-M planet.

Hoshi was hoping T'Pol would accompany her during the shore leave so that they'd have a chance to talk and iron out the details of their relationship, which as far as she could tell, was up in the air.

At the moment, Hoshi was in the ships entertainment center examining a number of literature pieces that interested her in an attempt to unwind after another stressful day.

The entertainment center was a place she hadn't frequented very often for one reason or another, but deciding for a change of pace, she was using her break to peruse the various literature and video pieces.

"There are so many to choose from, how do you decide which one you want to read?"

Hoshi turned around to see the speaker, Sarnovia Lyatna, who was giving her a positively dazzling smile.

Although feeling a little surprised that the alien woman was speaking to her, Hoshi nonetheless entertained the question. "Depends on my mood. If I want movies, I generally stick to mystery, thrillers, and romantic comedies; although if I want a good read, nothing really beats some classic Tolkien, Doyle or Roberts. If you're interested, I can suggest some good books for you to start on."

Sarnovia looked less than attentive, and Hoshi had a feeling she was being less than honest with her reason for being at the entertainment center and speaking to her specifically, so she switched topics. "But somehow, I don't think you really want to hear about my literary preferences, so what's going on?"

Sarnovia had the grace to look embarrassed, and her hair flushed a shade or two darker.

"Okay, I really came down here to ask for your advice."

Whatever Hoshi was expecting, this definitely wasn't it. "Hmm…sure, I guess, but wouldn't the Captain be a better choice?"

Sarnovia took a deep breath. "Well, seeing as he's involved..." She trailed off at Hoshi's blank look, hesitated for a moment and tried again. "Everyone knows you're friends with the captain, and have a successful relationship with Commander T'Pol, so you were my natural first choice to aid me in my endeavor to elevate my relationship with the Captain."

Hoshi blinked, feeling simultaneously pleased by the compliment being paid to her but also she was trying not to laugh. The status of her relationship with T'Pol wasn't currently what she would call 'successful.' Then there was the fact that she was a bit wary of being involved in her commanding officers romantic life. Personally, she wasn't sure that one should tread that path…if one wanted to have any sort of future career that is.

In order to buy herself more time and find out what the other woman wanted, she stalled a bit.

"What exactly do you want me to do? I'm still missing quite a bit of my memory about my time served on this ship."

"I understand that, and it's nothing arduous I assure you. Just any personal details you can recall, such as his likes and dislikes."

Hoshi hesitated before finally caving in. She and Sarnovia spent some time talking and recollecting about what she could remember, and she concluded with suggesting that Sarnovia might want to talk to Commander LaForge; he had known Hunter the longest of anyone on the ship, and was probably the closest to him personally. Sarnovia left with a noticeable bounce in her step, and Hoshi watched her for a moment before returning to the literature and shaking her head.

She was quite sure she would regret her moment of kindness when it came to the Captain's attention that his second officer was coaching an alien woman on how to have a romantic relationship with him. Her right temple gave a nasty throb at the thought of how that scenario would play out and she decided she would just have to sort it out later.

When would she learn to mind her own damn business?

_9:00A.M. July 7__th__, 2166_

T'Pol didn't quite feel at one hundred percent, but nonetheless she was going to spend her shore leave with Hoshi regardless of how she felt.

The two lovers, being in the first rotation of shore leave, would get four days on the class-M planet _Enterprise_ was currently orbiting before having to report back to duty. It was T'Pol's hope that during that time she and Hoshi could mend their relationship. She resisted the urge to go to the bridge and check on Commander LaForge, who would be acting first officer during her time off the ship. Instead, she hoisted her carryall and headed to the shuttle bay. When she arrived, she found Hoshi dressed in hiking boots, blue jeans and an emerald tank top with a matching bandanna tied around her head. She smiled nervously, and although T'Pol didn't return the smile, she did nod acknowledging it.

"Hey there, are you packed and ready to go?"

Despite spending a large amount of time among humans, for the life of her she _still_ didn't understand why they always asked such obvious questions. She was carrying her carryall so she was obviously packed, and she was present in the shuttle bay, which meant she was ready to go. However instead of saying any of that she merely replied, "Yes, I am ready."

They boarded one of the waiting shuttles which were rather cramped, what with other crewmembers talking excitedly about their plans once they reached planet side. This particular shuttle pod was being piloted by the auxiliary helmsman, a cheerful young man by the name of Edward Ringelton. After receiving clearance to launch from _Enterprise_, Ringelton guided the shuttle pod down to the lush tropical paradise. Hoshi was enraptured by the view, and even T'Pol seemed to admire it quite a bit, although she was much less vocal about it.

After several minutes the pod touched down, but when T'Pol made to disembark Hoshi stopped her by grabbing her forearm and whispering quietly. "Not here, our stop is up ahead a bit." That news was a bit unexpected. As she resumed her seat she wondered what Hoshi had in store for her.

When they did finally leave the shuttle pod they were nearly twenty kilometers from the area the rest of the crew were staying. As the shuttle lifted off, T'Pol got a good look at the area Hoshi had picked out for them to stay at.

They were in a clearing that was picturesque: green trees surrounded them on all sides except to the west, where the was a natural path that led to a small lake with medium sized waterfall the place had an air of serenity and even the stoic Vulcan felt herself relax a bit.

It had a striking similarity to a place on Earth called Yellowstone; T'Pol had been there once before and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Hoshi was watching T'Pol observe their surroundings.

"What do you think?" She timidly inquired.

The Vulcan raised an eyebrow. "Impressive."

Hoshi felt disproportionately happy from the compliment, but she fought not to show it. Instead, she pointed to an area under a rather large tree. "Come on, we can get set up over there."

For the next several hours, they proceeded to make camp, and the general strenuous nature of the work left them little time for them to talk. Around lunchtime Hoshi hammered the last peg into place on the tent and stood back to admire her work. She was dirty, sweaty and grimy, but she was exceptionally proud of herself and let out a content sigh, sitting down on a dead log to take a breather before tackling what they would be eating for lunch.

A few minutes later, she was joined by T'Pol who, although choosing to sit nearby, was just out of arm's reach, there was an uncomfortable silence that seemed to grow more so as the seconds ticked by. Finally she could stand it no longer.

"Where are we T'Pol? In our relationship…?" She hadn't planned to talk to her would-be partner like this, but it was probably better to get it over with regardless of the results.

T'Pol stared into the distance for several seconds before replying in a grave tone. "I do not know Hoshi. My feelings for you have not changed, and I would enjoy continuing our relationship together. However given the…unique…nature of this situation I believe a more prudent question would be: do _you_ still wish to be in this relationship?"

The younger woman fell silent for awhile, and to her surprise the Vulcan continued, "Or perhaps you would be agreeable to postponing this choice until more of your memories returned."

She shook her head no. "Dr. Sveck told me the therapy has pretty much reached its limit of what memories it can help me recover; the rest of them are just going to be lost, barring some major medical breakthrough in memory recovery."

"I see. I'm sorry to hear that." T'Pol responded quietly, looking away.

Hoshi smiled sadly. "Thank you for that, but it stinks." She said, sighing. "I can't lie to you T'Pol; I _do_ care about you, and even though I don't remember everything, I do want to be with you….but there are some things that we need to talk about. You said your feelings towards me hadn't changed; the thing is…I can't remember what those feelings were. I was going through some of my personal logs the other night and I got the impression from them that prior to my accident I was in love with you, but I had some doubts whether or not you felt the same way." She took a deep breath. "From what I can recall, I know you showed affection towards me, and that may have been enough for me before, but I don't know if it is now. Before we take this any further, I need to know…do you love me?"

There it was. The question they had danced around for months. Hoshi hadn't asked prior to this partly for fear of the answer, and partly out of trying to respect her partner's emotional restraint. T'Pol on the other hand, wouldn't volunteer her feelings because she assumed Hoshi had known how she felt and so there was no need to restate the obvious.

The Vulcan looked down at the ground. "The reason you can't recall that isn't entirely due to your amnesia. Prior to the accident I…I never told you how I felt about you."

"Never?"

"No, I always thought you knew, it seems I erred and I need to rectify that mistake." She locked her hazel eyes onto Hoshi's brown ones and spoke sincerely. "Hoshi…I need you to know that since that first night we kissed, my feelings for you have continued to grow stronger every day as I learn what an amazing person you are and how entering into this relationship with you was the right choice. I love you, _ashal."_

They had both made mistakes; perhaps Hoshi should have been more honest with her insecurities and pushed T'Pol a little harder to reveal her feelings. Perhaps T'Pol could have been more open with the woman she cherished above all others, but the important thing was they both knew now, and would take steps to prevent those mistakes from happening again.

It is ironic that it sometimes takes losing something valuable in order to find something even more valuable.

Hoshi smiled brilliantly. "I love you too, T'Pol."

After their declaration, there didn't seem to be anything left to say, so Hoshi stuck out her hand and T'Pol took it, willing to be buffeted by Hoshi's surface thoughts and emotions as was the case whenever they touched. With her free hand, Hoshi captured T'Pol's chin and kissed her softly. They held the kiss like that for a few moments, enjoying the sensations. It didn't take long though before their passion began to well up and threaten to overwhelm them.

They began to feel around each other, desperate to reconnect with the physical intimacy they both missed and needed. They barely made it to the tent, somehow still embraced. They managed to undress and sink onto the mattress, freely offering themselves up to one another.

It was several hours later and night had fallen when Hoshi awoke in T'Pol's arms feeling thoroughly satisfied and at peace with everyone and everything around her. She looked up at T'Pol and saw the Vulcan was observing her silently. "I love you, _t'hy'la_."

Hoshi smiled and snuggled closer, falling deeper into the safe embrace of the woman she loved, her rapid heartbeat resonating a soothing rhythm. "I love you too sweetheart."

It was at that moment that Hoshi knew that everything was okay. Her sense of balance over life had returned, and while she didn't have all her memories back and probably never would, she had something just as valuable: the love of a wonderful woman. She was ready to face the uncertainty of the future and whatever it threw her way…as long as T'Pol was by her side.

**Epilogue:**

In a shadowy room on a planet far away, General Jar'zk sat in a chair half-cast in light, which gave him a very ominous appearance. "Did you gather the data before the drone ships were destroyed, Colonel Sulvae?"

Sulvae, a slender built woman with a greenish pallor, a prominent brow, and wingtip ears, nodded and handed a PADD to Jar'zk, who didn't even glance at it. In a smoky voice, Sulvae detailed their findings to her commanding officer. "We counted 111 life signs, 108 were Terran, 1 Trill, 1 Vulcan and 1 Su-Nian. We have tactical data on armaments, weapon load outs, and shield frequencies. Lastly, we can extrapolate from their course that they are headed for the Su-Nian home world and will arrive there within 2-3 months. Our projections show a 73.8% chance of victory if we were to engage them now."

Jar'zk spared her a glance. "Do they suspect we are involved?"

Sulvae shook her head no. "There is nothing in our information that would suggest _Enterprise _has any indication the _Tal Shiar _is involved in anyway."

The General nodded, apparently satisfied. "Good. Continue to monitor them closely. The time is not yet right to strike, but when we do, it will be final and decisive. Soon, I will have _Enterprise's _hull to adorn the wall of my trophy room. Then we will show the Federation the wrath of the Romulan Star Empire…"

The End

**Alright everyone hope you enjoyed it, I had some conflicts with school that were the cause between the large gaps in stories, but thats all cleared up and I should be posting part four shortly (its about 70% done). As usual you can drop me a pm or leave a comment with your thoughts, ideas, criticisms etc. I always love hearing from you guys so let me know what you think. If you want a leg up on when my stories are coming out you can always go to my profile and subscribe to me. Thanks for reading and I'll see you all later.**

**-Phatalbert21**


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